MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- USA TODAY, official U.S. representative to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, announces the kickoff of the 2013 U.S. Young Lions competitions. Through this annual competition USA TODAY identifies emerging American creative talent and celebrates them on a global stage.

USA TODAY will administer four Young Lions competitions – Cyber, Film, Media and Print. The winning U.S. teams will be sponsored to compete at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity as "TEAM USA" against the most talented and creative young professionals in the world. The competitions are open to teams of two young professionals under the age of 28 employed by an advertising company or agency, or media company in the U.S. The competitions will run from January through May. The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Festival is June 16-22, 2013 in Cannes, France.

All registration and competition details can be found at www.cannes-lions.usatoday.com/.The deadline for registration is February 7, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Thank you to our participating U.S. Young Lion Sponsors: Digitas for Cyber; and Pereira & O'Dell for Film. USA TODAY sponsors the Print competition.

USA TODAY is a multi-platform news and information media company. Founded in 1982, USA TODAY's mission is to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Through its unique visual storytelling, USA TODAY delivers high-quality and engaging content across print, digital, social and video platforms. An innovator of news and information, USA TODAY reflects the pulse of the nation and serves as the host of the American conversation – today, tomorrow and for decades to follow. USA TODAY, the nation's number one newspaper in print circulation with an average of nearly 1.8 million daily, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper website launched in 1995, reach a combined 6.6 million readers daily. USA TODAY is a leader in mobile applications with more than 16 million downloads on mobile devices. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).